I often remind myself, “Empathy and Boundaries.” “Vulnerability and Boundaries” works just as well. Part of the courage of vulnerability, I’m learning, is waiting until I am actually starting to be taken advantage of before presenting the boundaries, rather than doing so pre-emptively, which has been my habit for too long.

It’s so easy to see why this type of leadership would lead to great loyalty and staff working to be their best because they’re surrounded by a leader who knows them well enough to help them be their best and to succeed. A leader who simply demands results, but has no intimate knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of their team — tends to look for replacements vs. transformations. Obviously it’s a two-way street — staff need to give it their all too — but you can see when a team respects their leader, is not afraid to voice a different opinion, and is willing to go the extra mile because their leader will do all he/she can to make them and the business succeed. Nothing is better than liking your team and reaching your goals. To do that successfully, you need a leader who can be both strong and vulnerable.

I think you can show vulnerability the more you interact with your team. If you stay in your office all day or at meetings all day or you send emails from afar…. it is hard to build relationships. It is all about relationships…

Your specification of vulnerability in a leader context are great. I have found Brené Brown’s TED talks on this amazing and convicting. One of her points is to love with your whole heart. I think that can be cross applied here to “lead with your whole heart.” Your guidance above certainly point to that.